Absence of complement fixing antibodies against lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli in a subgroup of patients with Crohn's disease.

Abstract

Complement fixing antibodies against different Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharides were determined in patients with Crohn's disease and in healthy individuals and compared with antitetanus toxoid antibodies. All healthy individuals had antilipopolysaccharide antibodies, 10 of 27 patients with Crohn's disease had no antibodies and six had rapidly changing antibody titres. These abnormalities were found in patients with disease in the colon, with arthropathy and fistula. Antilipid A was found at lower titres in Crohn's disease. Neither antitetanus toxoid antibodies, nor immunoglobulin concentrations were different in patients with or without antilipopolysaccharide antibodies. There was no evidence for circulating immune complexes in patients lacking antilipopolysaccharide antibodies. Certain subgroups of patients with Crohn's disease have altered antibody levels to typical enteral antigens which most likely can be explained by local antibody binding to lipopolysaccharides at inflammatory sites, or by changes in immunoregulation in this disease.

Endotoxaemia in Patients with Crohn’s Disease: A Longitudinal Study of Elastase/α1-Proteinase Inhibitor and Limulus-Amoebocyte-Lysate Reactivity

“…These are mainly caused by abnormal and invasive bacterial colonisation (2 -6). During the acute phase of Crohn's disease, a systemic endotoxaemia (7-* 10) and elevated antibody concentrations directed against Escherichia coli-O serotypes (11,12), and lipid A (13 -15), the toxophor within the lipopolysaccharide molecule (16), were found.…”